Elizabeth Holmes reported on Tuesday to the minimum-security Federal Prison Camp Bryan, roughly 165 miles south of Dallas. Holmes, who founded the blood testing start-up Theranos, was sentenced to more than 11 years behind bars after being convicted of defrauding investors.
She’d falsely claimed that her company could scan for a litany of health issues using only a few drops of blood.
Holmes was once frequently compared to Steve Jobs, the late Apple tech titan. Her wardrobe of black turtlenecks and deep voice contributed to a mystique that was later harnessed by actress Amanda Seyfried in the popular Hulu miniseries The Dropout.
But now, California’s Holmes is again a resident of the Lone Star State. Holmes graduated from St. John's School in Houston in 2002, where her father worked for Enron, another ill-fated corporate failure.
FPC Bryan has seen other (in)famous inmates, too, including Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Jen Shah, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing. The facility also previously held North Texas’ own Jenna Ryan, the Frisco real estate pro who landed in legal hot water over her role in the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
One Twitter user highlighted FPC Bryan's significance in a viral tweet: “jen shah and elizabeth holmes officially in the same texas prison walls .......... this is shakespearian [sic].”
jen shah and elizabeth holmes officially in the same texas prison walls .......... this is shakespearian
— Morgan A Baila (@morganbaila) May 30, 2023
Bruce Cameron, a federal prison consultant, told the Observer that as far as prisons go, Bryan is “a great place.” It’s an all-female facility that houses low-security inmates, such as first-time offenders and those who’ve committed financial crimes, and it offers programming and drug treatment.
Cameron noted that Bryan has a twin prison in West Virginia. In 2004, Martha Stewart was interned in that equivalent facility after being found guilty of charges related to insider trading.
After entering the prison camp, Holmes will have to integrate, Cameron said.
“The other ladies are going to size you up, just like the men do,” he said. “There's a high, high level of sexual activity among women inmates — more so than men.”
Holmes is clearly intelligent, Cameron said, and she won’t be considered a physical threat. But as someone whose case has made international headlines, she’ll definitely have a target on her back going in.
"But I wouldn't call it the ‘Club Fed’ either." – Bruce Cameron, federal prison consultant.
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Upon arrival, Holmes was likely greeted by what insiders call “the welcome wagon,” Cameron said. Inmates may try to extend a helping hand, such as by providing shampoo or soap, to get on her good side. But the welcome wagon could also feature women with bad intentions.
Some people might picture inmates on a restrictive diet of bread and water, or they may figure prisoners can only walk and do push-ups for exercise, he said. Yet some institutions like FPC Bryan have decent exercise facilities, and the food isn't necessarily as bad as one would assume, he said: “I think it's on the same level as a college chow hall.”
Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes arrives at the Texas prison where she’ll serve her 11-year sentence for overseeing a blood-testing hoax that garnered national attention.https://t.co/fhOVVYa0b0 pic.twitter.com/uNYDv7CcIA
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 30, 2023
Actually, that analogy holds up. Envision staying in a “community college with a fence” — or, perhaps, a “little city” — and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what Holmes is dealing with, Cameron said.
Still, he noted that it’s not like Holmes is checking into a five-star resort. “She's at a safe, mainline female federal prison for females that are low-risk, and it has adequate programming and stuff like that,” Cameron said. “But I wouldn't call it the ‘Club Fed’ either.”
